A shove then a laugh for a King

The game was tight late in the third quarter, following a sequence that saw Kings rookie DeMarcus Cousins ejected for the second time this season.

Cousins was shoved by Minnesota guard Luke Ridnour. Cousins pushed three Timberwolves – Ridnour, guard Martell Webster and center Nikola Pekovic – during the brief exchange that followed and was assessed two technical fouls and ejected.

Ridnour was given a personal and technical foul for his involvement.

"Just normal woofing and shoving after a physical play," is how Kings coach Paul Westphal described the incident. "It just looked like stuff you see a million times in the NBA, from where I was."

Cousins also knocked official Bob Delaney's hand off him as he left the court. Westphal said he didn't see what Cousins did but would wait to hear from the league about any possible additional discipline that could include a suspension.

"I'm just setting a screen and the next minute I'm getting pushed," Cousins said. "They dealt with it the way they felt they should have dealt with it. Can't do nothing about that."

It's not unusual for that kind of play to spark a team that's losing.